Seat head restraints have been used for many years in automotive vehicles. These head restraints generally extend vertically from the seat back. They are provided for neck and head protection during rear impacts and thus may prevent neck hyperextension.
At first head restraints were only required for the front seats of vehicles. However, as seat technology advanced and additional concerns arose over the need for head restraints for all passengers of the vehicle, today rear seat head restraints have become mandatory. As is frequently the case with new mandated technology, the rear head restraints on newer vehicles appear to be after-thoughts and frequently do not appear to have been a planned part of the seat design.
Current rear seat head restraints add additional height to the rear seats even when the head restraint is adjusted to the lowest height position. While providing a valuable addition to vehicle seating, this additional height partially blocks the view from the rearview mirror, especially for 5th% female drivers. This situation exists even when there are no passengers on the rear seats. Upright head restraints on foldable rear seats may also interfere with the proper movement of the seat back from its upright position to its lowered position.
Accordingly, what is desired is a system that provides for movement of a head restraint between its upright position when a passenger is present and its lowered position when no passenger is present. A further improvement would be such a system in which movement of the head restraint between its upright position and its lowered position is undertaken automatically based on the presence or absence of a seat occupant.
As in so many areas of vehicle technology, particularly with respect to vehicle safety systems, there is always room for improvement.